My Blog

A beautiful thing happen Friday night.

I'm serious, freaking way out there. I've called several people about this and I need to put it down on paper. So anyway. I'm picking my boys up at their school carnival tonight. My oldest son has a fascination with all things military and has his face painted in camouflage to match his camouflage t-shirt at the carnival. Kid is ready for Marine Recon. Unfortunately for him the family heritage is Navy Seabee's. Not sure what to do about that. So we leave but I need to stop and get groceries for the weekend, we stop at local Wal-Mart. There is a soldier in combat uniform at the store. We pass each other in the isles and he smiles at my son and nods at me with a smile, eventually we end up in the same check out lane together. Soldier comes up to me and asks if it's okay to speak with my son and give him something. Guy is well into his fifties but smells okay so I give him the thumbs up, but hovering like a hawk. It's at this point that that things get very dramatic. The soldier squats down to eye level with Chase and pulls out a small flag, a flag he carried over his heart since his first combat mission in Panama, and gives it to Chase. Tells big C the flag has been with him in Panama, Grenada, Somalia, Afghanistan Iraq and back to Afghanistan. He's a lifer and he is retiring and is passing his American flag to my son and explains to him how this flag served him while in combat. I'm at a loss for words, this is exceptionally unusual. At this point the two woman in the line were crying, most the men are are trying to hold it together, including myself, and the cashier ain't scanning groceries. I kept thinking, "70' gap 3 gear half pinned to clear it" just to keep myself from breaking into tears. Soldier turns around a takes his combat badge and gives it to Connor. Thanks for not leaving little little C out of this moment. I give the guy my card and tell 'em dinner for you and yours is on me anywhere anytime.